Farms are spread over a large area, are isolated and unlike the townships, there is no central community area with shops or reliable public transport system to connect one with ‘civilisation’.  In relation to the farms, the nearest town can be as far away as 50km.  The nearest corner store is a fair distance from the farm and most definitely not an ideal place for a child to hang out. A farm child’s daily routine involves being transported to school by bus, farm truck or walking, and returning directly to the farm in the afternoon.  As one can imagine, this routine would be tedious (especially for an active child!) and having parents who work means that there is no supervision upon returning from school – no one to insist that homework gets done and no one to ensure that a child stays out of mischief.

In the farming communities there tends to be a sense of helplessness and apathy and farm workers often suffer from low self-esteem. In the majority of cases farm workers have not completed schooling, dropping out at early stages of senior/high school. Their poor level of education results in their inability to assist their children with school work and also often their disinterest in their child’s schooling.

By training women from the farms to run the Anna Foundation after-school programmes, they are being empowered with skills and taking their knowledge back into the rural communities ensuring sustainability. We want the women to feel proud about their role as an educator, enthusiastically grow and grant them with an opportunity to better themselves.

Through the 3 R’s “Reading, Running, Righting” Programme we aim to provide children with much needed literacy and numeracy assistance, encourage a love for all kinds of sports and healthy lifestyle as well as teach children how to integrate values into their day to day lives. With the Anna Foundation running afterschool clubs, parents and farm owners have peace of mind knowing that their children are in a safe and enriching environment. By addressing the needs of rural children, a huge step is taken toward alleviating poverty in these communities. The Anna Foundation aims to teach these children that through dedication, persistence and hard work each one can become a master of his or her own destiny.